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Category: The BIM Future

Whole-life performance is increasingly talked about within the building sector. But what is it and why is it important?
A new document titled “Building Whole-Life Performance” has been developed by the Built Environment Knowledge Transfer Network. It provides answers, examples and references for those who are interesting in knowing more about the topic.Building Whole-Life Performance – innovateuk.

A two year old girl who was born with a serious heart defect has had a life saving operation thanks to a 3D printer.
Mina had a hole between two chambers of her heart, but doctors were able to use the printer to create a model to help surgeons plan the operation.
We were joined by Mina and her mum Natasha, along with Dr Tarique Hussain who printed off the model of her heart.▶ BBC One – Breakfast, 27/01/2015, The amazing 3D printed heart.

A 3D printed model of a patient’s heart has been used by surgeons to help plan how to fix the heart. Researchers at King’s College London have pioneered a ground-breaking technique whereby a 3D printer working from scans on the patient, creates a physical replica of a patient’s organ. Surgeons can then use the plastic replica to see, measure – and hold – the organ in all its detail, and tailor the surgery before they operate. This is particularly useful for operating on small children, whose organs are very small.
Two-year old Mina was one of the first patients in the UK to benefit from this new technique. From birth, her heart was so deformed by a large hole between the two chambers, it was thought it could not be repaired. However using an exact replica of the heart printed off in plastic, doctors treating her at Evelina London Children’s Hospital were able to see the exact size and position of the hole in the wall between two of her heart chambers, and to design a patch for it.
The technique was pioneered at King’s College London by Dr Gerald Greil, Consultant Paediatric Cardiologist at Evelina Hospital who specialises in creating high resolution 3D images of the heart using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). In Mina’s case, Greil and colleagues within the Division of Imaging Sciences and Biomedical Engineering at King’s used computer software to stitch together more than 120 images of the heart, creating a 3D image that could be viewed on a scan from any angle. Turning this image into a replica was the next step.
Professor Reza Razavi, Head of Division of Imaging Sciences & Biomedical Engineering at King’s College London said: ‘We have been using 3D models for research and teaching for a while but using it clinically is a first for us.’King’s College London – 3D copy of patient’s heart.

Innovate UK has awarded a £1m contract to RIBA Enterprises to develop a prototype digital tool that is set to transform the procurement of buildings and infrastructure at home and abroad.
Free to use, the tool will exploit the standards being made publicly available for Building Information Modelling (BIM). Regarded as a ‘game-changer’, BIM involves the sharing of three-dimensional data and associated asset information by all responsible for the design, construction and operation of buildings and infrastructure.
RIBA Enterprises has been awarded the contract following an open competition launched in February 2014 and run in partnership with the Department for Business (BIS) and the joint industry-government BIM Task Group.
See the full article£1m Innovate UK contract to help digitise Government construction projects – press release display page – innovateuk.

CIC BIM2050 Group publishes Built Environment 2050
The BIM2050 group, which was formed by CIC in September 2012 and comprises 18 young construction professionals under the Chairmanship of David Philp, Head of BIM, HM Government UK BIM Task Group, has today published its much anticipated Built Environment 2050: A Report on our Digital Future. The report is available here.
The report, a compilation of essays authored by BIM2050 work stream leads, is the result of the group’s research into what an interdisciplinary scope of work may look like as construction technology develops to BIM Level 3 and beyond, towards 2050. It provides an assessment of the current situation and makes proposals for future development. The focus of the report rests on three key areas – education and skills, technology and process and the culture of integration. It highlights the risks and challenges, and the opportunities and benefits that come with large scale innovation and game changing new technologies.
via Construction Industry Council – CIC BIM2050 Group publishes Built Environment 2050 Report.